On this page 9 sections
How to build a LinkedIn Boolean search
- List the job titles you want, separated by commas. A profile needs only one, so add every way the title is written.
- Add the words a profile must mention. Each entry is required; give choices with OR, as in SaaS OR software.
- Add what to leave out: words that rule out a job title (assistant, intern) and words that rule out a whole profile (agency).
- Copy the string for where you search. The search bar at the top of LinkedIn takes the whole string. In Sales Navigator, the first box goes into the Current job title filter and the second into Keywords.
- Run it, read the first page of results and come back to tighten or widen it.
LinkedIn Boolean operators and the order LinkedIn reads them
LinkedIn Help lists five tools for a Boolean search and reads them in this order: quotes first, then brackets, then NOT, then AND, with OR last. The three operators only work in capitals.
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| "Quotes" | Finds an exact phrase. Use straight quotes: Sales Navigator Help says curly ones aren't supported. | "head of sales" |
| (Brackets) | Groups terms so they are read together, before anything outside them. | VP NOT (assistant OR SVP) |
| NOT | Leaves out profiles that have the term. | programmer NOT manager |
| AND | Every term must appear. It's optional: two terms side by side already need both. | accountant AND finance AND CPA |
| OR | Any one of the terms will do. | sales OR marketing OR advertising |
The last four examples are LinkedIn Help's own. That AND is optional comes from Sales Navigator Help.
The order matters most for OR. Because AND is read before OR, VP OR director AND software means VP on its own or director AND software. Brackets fix it: (VP OR director) AND software. That is why the builder puts brackets around every list of choices.
What LinkedIn ignores and what the builder does instead
- Operators in lowercase. LinkedIn Help says AND, OR and NOT must be typed in capitals to work. The builder writes them that way and reads a lowercase "or" between two words as OR.
- Wildcards. LinkedIn has no "*". List each form instead: manager OR managers.
- Square, curly and angle brackets. LinkedIn treats them as ordinary characters, so they group nothing. The builder takes them out and uses round brackets.
- Plus and minus signs. LinkedIn Help says they aren't officially supported. The builder reads a minus sign in front of a word as NOT and drops a plus sign.
- Curly quotes. Sales Navigator Help says they aren't supported, so the builder straightens them.
- Stop words. LinkedIn Help says words such as "by", "in" and "with" aren't used in a search. The builder drops one that stands alone and keeps it inside a quoted phrase.
Where to paste it: the search bar or Sales Navigator
On LinkedIn itself, the string goes into the search bar at the top of the page. LinkedIn's updated people search also takes a plain sentence and reads it for meaning, but LinkedIn Help notes that a plain-language search doesn't support quotes. For exact keyword matches, it points to Boolean search.
In Sales Navigator, Boolean works in the Keywords box and in the company and title filters, with a limit of about 15 operators in each, according to Sales Navigator Help. So the builder writes two strings for it, the titles for the Current job title filter and the rest for Keywords. It counts the operators in each.
The split pays off most with what you leave out. Left out in Keywords, a word drops every profile that mentions it. Left out of the Current job title filter, it drops only people whose current title has it.
What makes a good Boolean search string
- Every way the title is written. VP Sales, VP of Sales, Vice President of Sales and Head of Sales can all be the same job, so list them all.
- Few required words. Each AND shrinks the list. One or two, such as the market and the kind of company, is usually enough.
- Phrases in quotes. In quotes, "sales director" finds that phrase. Without them it finds anyone who mentions sales and director anywhere.
- Exclusions you have seen. Add a NOT once the first page of results shows people you don't want, not before.
Tips for LinkedIn Boolean search
- Start wide, then narrow. Run the titles on their own first, then add one required word at a time and watch how the number of results moves.
- Read ten profiles before you write to anyone. A string that looks right can still bring back recruiters, students or people who left the role.
- Mind the monthly limit. On a free account, heavy searching can hit LinkedIn's commercial use limit, a monthly cap on people searches.
Questions
Does LinkedIn still support Boolean search?
Yes. LinkedIn Help says to type a Boolean string into the search bar at the top of LinkedIn. Its updated search reads plain sentences for meaning; for exact keyword matches, Help points to Boolean. Sales Navigator supports it too.
Do AND, OR and NOT have to be in capitals?
Yes. LinkedIn Help says to type them in uppercase for the search to work. In lowercase they don't act as operators.
Can I use a wildcard such as sales*?
No. LinkedIn doesn't support the asterisk, so list each form you want with OR: manager OR managers OR management.
How many operators can a Sales Navigator search use?
About 15 in each box, according to Sales Navigator Help. The builder counts the AND, OR and NOT in each one and tells you when a box goes over.
Where does Boolean work in Sales Navigator?
In the Keywords box and in the company and title filters, Sales Navigator Help says. Put titles in the Current job title filter and the rest in Keywords.
Does the builder send my search anywhere?
No. It runs in your browser and nothing you type leaves this page.
Related tools
Where FOUND fits
A Boolean string finds people by what their profiles say. It can't tell you which of them has a reason to talk this week. FOUND, an AI SDR for LinkedIn, does that part: its agents watch seven kinds of buying signal every day, from posts about the problem you solve to new roles, hiring and fresh funding. Each person is checked against your buyer twice (the headline first, then the full profile). The ones who fit get a sequence written from why they were found, on LinkedIn and by email from your own mailbox, with their verified work email found for you.
Or skip the string: with Ask, describe the companies you want in one sentence and get up to 50, with the right person at each and their email. See it in the demo or on the pricing page: $69 a month for two agents, one LinkedIn account, one mailbox and 100 credits.
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